Leon's Cafe.

AuthorBailey, David
PositionWinston-Salem, North Carolina

Don't eat at Leon's.

Not, that is, unless you're willing to put up with some extremely casual service. And not unless you don't mind eating in a loud, crowded cafe where you have to squint at a chalkboard to see what's being offered. And not unless you're willing to stand around for an hour or so waiting for a seat.

So, you may be asking, what are all those people - business types among them - waiting for?

Maybe it's the deep-fried artichoke hearts with caviar mayonnaise. Or the scallops sauteed with bacon and Vidalia onions. Or the grilled duck flanked by a sauce of fresh blackberries.

Obviously, Leon's is not for everyone. Executive chef Kevin Shirley doesn't want to sound elitist, but, hey, we're talking haute cuisine here: "Our clientele tend to be enlightened, creative and intelligent people who are really into food.

"I like to cook for people who are smart," he says.

And hungry.

My wife and I arrived at Leon's at 7:45 on a Friday evening. (It's only open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.) Range Rovers, Mercedes, Jags and Volvos lined the street in front of the small, unobtrusive eatery. Elsewhere in West Salem - just on the other side of the tracks from Old Salem - you're more likely to see Comets, Impalas and pickup trucks.

We checked in with the hostess, who said maybe she could seat us by 8:45. We strolled through West Salem, a neighborhood we had lived in 20 years ago when the Peter Pan Restaurant served family-style cooking in the space now occupied by Leon's and the toniest place to eat was the B&G Fried Pie outlet.

We came back at 8:45 and waited until 9:15 for a table. That gave us plenty of time to absorb the dimly lit, bistro ambiance. The decor? Booths, store-bought prints and pine paneling. The music? Vivaldi alternating with Johnny Mathis. The patrons? You name it, from blue jeans to blue suits.

Chef Shirley evidently knows that hunger is the best spice, and by 9:25, when our appetizers arrived, we would have eaten almost anything - which is not a bad way of describing the cafe's offerings. Fusion cuisine is the buzzword at Leon's, meaning you might find a classic French butter-based sauce with a little Oriental hoisin sauce thrown in and a sprinkling of good old Southern fatback on top of that. The result of all this fusion is food that's plate-licking good.

And that's another nice thing about Leon's - people aren't likely to turn up their noses if you do lick your plate. I, for instance, dropped my knife, which...

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